Demo / Video by Autopilot :P

[Dandolin]

the sounds you can get in normal mode with the six controls and the dry added are really special, they almost remind me of exotic acoustic instruments like a special kind of flute or banjo or something depending on where you set the knobs.

Now this is intriguing!

Know of any demos of suchlike sounds?

[autopilot]

some quick action of a molecule i did a couple of weeks ago

[Dandolin]

Ooh. Now I am distract frm seashellz.

[Tristan]

the sounds you can get in normal mode with the six controls and the dry added are really special, they almost remind me of exotic acoustic instruments like a special kind of flute or banjo or something depending on where you set the knobs.

Now this is intriguing!

Know of any demos of suchlike sounds?

I don't really, I wanted to make one but the only thing I have to record is this A/DA GCS-3 speaker simulator thing and I have to wait till my new Custom Caracol arrives.

[Dandolin]

Well, if you put it that way... waiting-for-mega-deluxe-SupraCaracol-demo mode activated.

[Dandolin]

OK so, question, Sir Tristan. Are there any controls/settings that particularly contribute to the exotic acoustic instrument vibe? Say the blend and the resonance from the cut, perhaps? Something else?

Do you think the current 6-knob version, or one of the special recipes you've cooked up with Adam are more likely to get to that zone?

Seems like a helluvan ester egg and I'd like to explore that sonic territory.

Care to weigh in, Adam?

I'm thinking a custom might be the way forward from my admittedly still jawesome OG Caracol, but having seen Adam's remarks about a possible new direction for the Trek away from oscillation and toward blending of different flavors, I wonder if that might also be an interesting direction to follow with the Caracol, which already has a sort-of wave-shaping vibe about it....

[autopilot]

all started with a 6 knobber that i did for tristan, in that time it was the 4knob OG version, for some reason that one ended with "mojo" or something magical because when you crank the focus, it goes beyond instead of starting to oscillate a bit in the frequency. I guess that helps for exotic instrument vibe, that tristan mentions, i really had tried to replicate that thing but in the 6 knob the focus ends oscillating when you reach that point.

The caracol is a really unique circuit, since there are a lot of variations and options that could be added, and perhaps is a beast on its own, when i was doing the tristan caracol (the 8 knobber), i messaged him in a period of time, almost daily, telling him about another option, and it evolve it onto lots of ideas (since we had a size and a number of knobs already figure out), that he had to email from time to time and tell me the features it was originally discussed, perhaps i will still be changing stuff on it, if i still have it. And i think i will have to ship him the og 6 knobber, because when he gets his 8 knobber he will msg me and tell me this is dope, but dude where are my exotic instrument in the normal mode :P options.

I also had some thoughts about the supreme version, and yes it evolve in my mind and i need to try some other stuff on it and make up my mind, thats why i joked about el molusculo, which is in my mind another take in the theory of the caracol but with other elements, also the cricket another simpler version (but more straight octavefuzz). The thing is that i had like 3 big boxes with around 80 dead prototypes and circuits from around 2006-2013, that those didnt make the light or at the time i couldnt focus on one idea, or there were some issues that i gave up, including my original idea of what became the caracol at that time it was the sunspot the name a crazy octave fuzz, i was so excited that i posted this on this ilf forum on 2009

there's one coming soon, imagine if hendrix was a mariachi playing a sitar in the grand canyon located in asia and it was the medieval/samurai times .

but it didnt worked as it had noise issues, then i gave up and later i reworked the concept and the caracol was born, but i'm playing with some of my ideas, but designing is a gamble sometimes you took out the features that you thought nobody will get or be perceived as added value to the unit, and also when people see things with more than 5 knobs and no presets it gets hard to convince the users. I'm glad for the feedback from the user on the tourbox so it helps to understand what i need to keep doing and what i could do better.

[autopilot]

i think for the exotic the decay works, since the cut is a knob that used to be the toggle on the OG it helps to shape the decay of the notes, and also the input gain, one thing i had been thinking is adding some sort of gate after, so you can have the intense/sustain type of sound but with a lot less sustain and more quick decay, allowing some more overtones and harmonic content to crash with the notes.

[Dandolin]

Yes! That sounds brill, and like it would go to some places far different than I am going with my current setup...I will pm you soon for more concrete discussions.

[Dandolin]

all started with a 6 knobber that i did for tristan, in that time it was the 4knob OG version, for some reason that one ended with "mojo" or something magical because when you crank the focus, it goes beyond instead of starting to oscillate a bit in the frequency. I guess that helps for exotic instrument vibe, that tristan mentions, i really had tried to replicate that thing but in the 6 knob the focus ends oscillating when you reach that point.

The caracol is a really unique circuit, since there are a lot of variations and options that could be added, and perhaps is a beast on its own, when i was doing the tristan caracol (the 8 knobber), i messaged him in a period of time, almost daily, telling him about another option, and it evolve it onto lots of ideas (since we had a size and a number of knobs already figure out), that he had to email from time to time and tell me the features it was originally discussed, perhaps i will still be changing stuff on it, if i still have it. And i think i will have to ship him the og 6 knobber, because when he gets his 8 knobber he will msg me and tell me this is dope, but dude where are my exotic instrument in the normal mode :P options.

I also had some thoughts about the supreme version, and yes it evolve in my mind and i need to try some other stuff on it and make up my mind, thats why i joked about el molusculo, which is in my mind another take in the theory of the caracol but with other elements, also the cricket another simpler version (but more straight octavefuzz). The thing is that i had like 3 big boxes with around 80 dead prototypes and circuits from around 2006-2013, that those didnt make the light or at the time i couldnt focus on one idea, or there were some issues that i gave up, including my original idea of what became the caracol at that time it was the sunspot the name a crazy octave fuzz, i was so excited that i posted this on this ilf forum on 2009

there's one coming soon, imagine if hendrix was a mariachi playing a sitar in the grand canyon located in asia and it was the medieval/samurai times .

but it didnt worked as it had noise issues, then i gave up and later i reworked the concept and the caracol was born, but i'm playing with some of my ideas, but designing is a gamble sometimes you took out the features that you thought nobody will get or be perceived as added value to the unit, and also when people see things with more than 5 knobs and no presets it gets hard to convince the users. I'm glad for the feedback from the user on the tourbox so it helps to understand what i need to keep doing and what i could do better.

This post. VH1 Behind the Pedlol Magick. I'ma have to give all this some serious thought....

[Tristan]

Yep, it's exactly like Adam described.

The Caracol is a very unique octave up fuzz, it gets textures that I haven't heard from any other pedal and it can be really diverse.
I have to say the new 6 knobber in the tourbox sounds more synthy to me, I guess the one I have on the way is like that too, still completely unique but different from the older one, that one (4 knobber modded to 6 knobber) really did the exotic instruments stuff.

As for features a gate would definitely be great in my opinion, maybe even make it footswitchable or something and besides that I think to get those exotic instrument sounds you probably need a focus (filter) and a resonance knob, plus it's an awesome feature to have an expression input for the cut knob, all that together would probably be my perfect "exotic instrument" Caracol (low gain mode).

[Dandolin]

Yep, it's exactly like Adam described.

The Caracol is a very unique octave up fuzz, it gets textures that I haven't heard from any other pedal and it can be really diverse.
I have to say the new 6 knobber in the tourbox sounds more synthy to me, I guess the one I have on the way is like that too, still completely unique but different from the older one, that one (4 knobber modded to 6 knobber) really did the exotic instruments stuff.

As for features a gate would definitely be great in my opinion, maybe even make it footswitchable or something and besides that I think to get those exotic instrument sounds you probably need a focus (filter) and a resonance knob, plus it's an awesome feature to have an expression input for the cut knob, all that together would probably be my perfect "exotic instrument" Caracol (low gain mode).

Thanks! This makes total sense to me, and seems like something I would love. I can actually see having different Caracols "tuned" to different ends. I gotta say, your 8 knob custom sounds incredible too with the oscillation and expression controlled cut knob. I'd love to hear more of the latest 6 knob version. After my super awesome custom crypto-Fuzzhuger gets completed, a Miracle Mollusk will b mine, bwahaha.



Copilot was always one of my favorite brands; Adam is now taking it into the stratosphere!

[Tristan]

Yep, stratosphere here we go!
That Caracol circuit is crazy, how different it can sound itself but also compared to other boxes around.
The other new stuff from Adam is insane too, that new Mantis has got me lusting hard, the Orbit is still one of my favourite weird synthy fuzzes and I'm curious where he'll take it.
Check out this tourbox thread if you haven't already, there's likely some cool demo's coming up:
viewtopic.php?f=140&t=45657